Responsible Wood, Australia’s largest forest certification scheme, has been recognised as part of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) new Responsible Products Framework.
The new framework, which provides guidance for all building materials used in Green Star projects and will apply to all new Green Star Rating Tools published by the Green Building Council of Australia.
The Responsible Wood Certification Scheme was assessed as ‘Best Practice’ and ‘Good Practice’ across four credit categories – Responsible Structure, Responsible Envelope, Responsible Finishes and Responsible Systems.
A copy of the assessment is available for download.
Responsible Wood is the national forest certification system developed through a multi-stakeholder process, tailored to local priorities and conditions.
In December 2021, Responsible Wood published the Australia-New Zealand Standard (AS / NZS 4708: 2021 – Sustainable Forest Management – requirements) following a rigorous 3-year process involving community, industry, scientific, academic, environmental, indigenous, employee and government representatives.
Under the framework, the Responsible Wood Certification Scheme is scored along with all other Green Star ‘recognised initiatives.’
The framework’s ‘recognised initiatives’ are used by products and manufacturers and contribute towards Green Star certification.
Responsible Wood CEO, Simon Dorries, noted that Responsible Wood’s Sustainable Forest Management standard was rated highly across all credit categories.
“The Responsible Products Framework provides a new definition for responsible products, it recognises schemes like Responsible Wood which have a positive environmental impact, are transparent, respect human rights, and take action to reduce carbon content.”
“Our new 2021 standard for Sustainable Forest Management has been assessed highly favourably and is amongst the world’s leading standards for sustainable forest management,” Mr Dorries said.
The Australia-New Zealand Standard (AS / NZS 4708), along with the Australian Standard for Chain of Custody for Forest Products (AS 4707) are key components of the Responsible Wood Certification Scheme.
Responsible Wood Chain of Custody ensures that processors, manufacturers, merchants and retailers source forest products from a sustainable origin and maintain the link through the supply chain.
More than 18 million hectares of certified forest is now covered as part of the Responsible Wood making it Australia’s largest and most diverse forest certification scheme.
The GBCA’s internationally recognised Green Star rating system sets standards for healthy, resilient, positive buildings and places that reduce the impact of climate change, enhance our quality of life, restore, and protect biodiversity and ecosystems, drive resilience and contribute to market transformation and a sustainable economy.
For media inquiries, please contact: Jason Ross, Marketing and Communications Officer, Responsible Wood, tel: +61 7 3359 1758, [email protected]
